The research on classroom interactions in our nation’s public schools does not evidence a great deal of classroom discussion, nor time and space to play; but, does find large amounts of teacher talk, busywork, and school/classroom disciplinary guidelines that heavily control what in this piece is termed, “human connection.” What many parents observed during the Covid lockdown was the “relentless monotony” of a teaching model and curricular materials that John Goodlad documented in his study of high schools over thirty years ago. I am not suggesting that virtual learning should replace “in-person” learning, but, done well, which it wasn’t by most school districts, it is the wave of the future, along with numerous other learning platforms. The educational goal–expressed in most school mission statements—of “lifelong learning”— will not be achieved with a classroom mindset in which all learning is confined to rooms lodged in buildings and taught by an all knowledgeable teacher standing in front of the classroom. No, the reality of the future occupational world lies in technologies that offer on-demand instruction in multiple modalities.
Alan C. Jones 